UADarthmaul #5 Castles and Palaces

Sintra is a fun place to be.  In the daytime, it is lively with tourists, little shops, and small restaurants. At night, it becomes a serene and cozy place that you have all to yourself.  Miles and I started the night by walking around a circle path downward and away from the town, before taking a dive and then walking up a steep incline to come back to the center.  What is unique about this path, is that every 20 feet or so is an artsy monument/statue.

We went to a restaurant recommended by our hosts, and we had to share a table with another couple, two girls in their young twenties.  They sat across from each other, followed by two empty seats across from each other, and then Miles and I sitting across from each other.  They started up a conversation with us, and apparently they are both from Florida.  One was living abroad, in Madrid, and the other was visiting.  We spoke about each other's travelling experiences.  I always enjoy connecting with other travelers.  They always have interesting stories to tell.  

While they were focused on trying out the wine selection, Miles and I were more interested in trying out the dessert selection.  We ordered a carrot cake covered in chocolate, an ice cream cake with fudge, and an iced chocolate cake.  The carrot cake was kind of tasteless, but the other two were excellent.

This morning, we went down for breakfast at our bed and breakfast.  We came at the tail end, and were left with a nice Japanese couple.  Despite some minor difficulty communication, I told them about the locations I planned for upcoming trip to Japan.  They seemed very excited about it and said that they were from Kyoto, and I think, Tsumago, both on my list of destinations.  They gave me their email address and said that they would be happy to have me reach out if I had any troubles while visiting.  I continue to find that other travelers are some of the happiest and friendliest you will ever encounter.

 We set out for our hike up the mountainside around 10:30.  It took us a little over an hour to reach the Moorish castle that resides above Sintra.  The hike was incredibly beautiful, and was quite the workout.  This was especially the case for Miles, who had never been on a hike before.  He needed to be pushed a bit, but once we got to the castle, his energy exploded, while I cowered in fear at the heights.  I experience extreme fear and panic at even small heights.  The view from the top walls of the castle were absurd, and it was incredibly windy.  While we continued to climb to the highest of walls, my eyes stayed glued to the path and I had to keep telling myself to keep going.  I would intermittently turn my camera to the side for a picture, but I did not turn my head.  For most of my shots, I waited until I was at more sturdy ground.  I do not like heights.

Next, we hiked a short way back to the middle of the mountain, and then up again to Pena Palace.  In between, at a bus stop, we saw a wild cat sitting.  This was a highlight of the afternoon for Miles. Pena Palacewas colorful and had a fairly lengthy museum inside.  There was a walk around the narrow walls as well, that Miles insisted we take.  I clung to the sides for dear life.  By the end, we were completely wiped out, and took the bus back down.  All in all, it took 3 hours between the hike and the two locations.  

For lunch, we went where we went the day before, which had decent, though not spectacular food.  One thing that I found interesting about the restaurant is that the waiters would buzz the kitchen to inform them of the orders.  I don't recall ever seeing that before.

We took a short rest and then took the bus to what ended up being the last stop of the day, another palace complex, Monserrate.  This was another steep hike down and then back up, with an unimpressive palace, but amazing gardens and a waterfall.  I discovered a plant that I had not seen before, an awesome looking tree, some swimming insects that looked like they were skiing, an old chapel, and the aforementioned waterfall.  However, with our exhaustion and the unimpressive palace itself, I consider this easily the least interesting place we have seen in Sintra.

We were completely without energy after a day of nonstop exercise, but after two hours resting, we decided to try the National Palace of Sintra, which we were told was open until 7:30.  It was not.  Tomorrow, we plan to start there and then pack up our bags, load up the car, and visit a local abandoned monastery, on the way to the westernmost point in Europe, Cabo da Roca.  Then, we will take a quick stop at Queluz National Palace, since it comes with our combined tickets from Sintra, and is literally directly in our path to Obidos.  Then, we will spend an easy night playing boardgames at our castle hotel.  We might explore a little in town before getting rest and making sure we have plenty of hunger for our next day's main event of the Obidos chocolate festival.

Tons more pictures at- https://www.flickr.com/gp/13109399@N07/UX5U8R